ABSTRACT

Teachers and students are frequently confused as to the relevance of abstract philosophical theorising to the reality of the classroom and this book is distinctive for the attention it devotes to philosophy and its potential contribution to practical matters, and education in particular. The author is critical of many current views of the philosophy of education and argues the validity of philosophy as an integral part of education in its own right, against the creation of a ‘new’ branch of philosophy, the ‘philosophy of education’. The book stresses that relativist ethical theories are no more ‘known’ to be valid than the absolutist theories they have replaced, and in the second section the author argues for a modified utilitarian position. The final section enables the reader to relate the general argument of the second part to several specific issues.

chapter |4 pages

Introduction page

part |2 pages

PART ONE

chapter 1|26 pages

Philosophy and Education

chapter 2|16 pages

Moral Philosophy

part |2 pages

PART TWO

chapter 3|12 pages

Reasonable and Unreasonable Arguments

chapter 4|12 pages

Freedom

chapter 5|8 pages

Equality

chapter 6|26 pages

Utilitarianism

part |2 pages

PART THREE

chapter 7|12 pages

Kant and Respect for Persons

chapter 8|10 pages

Autonomy

chapter 9|5 pages

Rights

chapter 10|10 pages

Creativity

chapter 11|19 pages

What Is Worthwhile?

chapter 12|9 pages

The Free School

chapter 13|15 pages

Educational Distribution

chapter 14|14 pages

Indoctrination and Moral Values